Mass Luck
by daReaper02
Summary: The fact that I was lucky enough to get reincarnated helps with dying. A new chance in a new world am I right? Of course, this new chance would be a lot less stressful if I didn't have to worry about the Reapers coming along and destroying it. I guess I'm going to have to help Shepard out with that won't I? Probably gonna have to, especially since I'm her sibling.
1. Betrayal

**Authors Note: Hello, everybody. This is my first attempt at a fan-fiction** _ **and**_ **self insert into the Mass Effect Universe, and to be honest... I have clue what I am doing so I would appreciate it if you readers out there would be patient with my ignorance.**

 **Disclaimer: I cannot stress enough that I DO NOT own Mass Effect or any of its characters. That honor goes to BioWare and EA. All I own is the character that I am placing into this wonderful universe. Now without further ado let's begin!**

...

This wasn't exactly my day to be quite honest. First I had gotten kicked out of my apartment because I couldn't scrounge up enough money to pay rent, being lazy doesn't help with that I can assure you, so I was stuck outside in the rain for the whole day. Then I got mugged and lost the small amount of money that I still had. I then decided to pay my brother a visit. You know the deal, ask to crash for a few days (or months) _just_ to get back on my feet. Bad idea, a _really_ bad idea.

See, me and my brother have had one _tiny_ disagreement. He had a girlfriend once upon a time and I had never met his girlfriend, _so_ I decided to stay with them at their place for a while. Just to meet the lucky lady who might get to marry my brother of course, not to get more money... maybe, but things only went downhill from there. See, my brother's girlfriend took a liking to me during my short, three month stay at my brothers house.

Harmless flirting at first I swear! Then she decided to step it up, and she tried to... well, I'll leave that up to you. The thing is I wasn't having any of it and I decided to tell my brother how _faithful_ she was really being. I was never able to do it however, and she wound up making it look like we were doing something... intimate, when we were doing anything but. Oh it gets better, turns out my brother was about to propose, too. Fun, right?

Anyway, big fight. Breakup. Kicked out of the house. Haven't talked to my brother since.

So, when I turned up at his place I could only guess at the reunion I would receive. I mean, after having a year to cool down I would be able to smooth things over, right? Yeah, I should be able to. He should have let this all blow over by now, so this should be easy!

After my little pep talk I walked up to the door and knocked three times. I then waited for my brother to open up the door, my confidence slowly ebbing away as I heard footsteps coming towards the door.

The door opened slightly, and my brother,Mike, poked his head out to see who had come to his not so humble abode. I could tell by the way he narrowed his eyes when he saw me that things had not blown over as I thought they would.

"What the hell are you doing here!"he snarled, looking like he wanted to punch me right then and there without letting me get the chance to open my mouth.

"I came to... try to smooth things over between us. Plus, I'm kind of... homeless now." I hung my head low as I said this, and after a few seconds of silence I looked up to see my brother looking like he wanted to kill me now.

"Why the hell should I help _you_!"he yelled again, spitting the last word like it was poison.

I replied with a wry smile,"I haven't asked for your help... yet." Hoping that my lighthearted banter would help diffuse the situation.

Mike seemed to calm down a little with that, but he still seemed to be quite angry. He also looked like he was getting tired of our so called _conversation_ and was looking like he would slam the door in my face.

"Look... I know we didn't part on the best of terms,"he narrowed his eyes even further when I said that, making me cringe,"but... at least give me a chance to explain," I paused for a second, trying to think of a place that would help calm him down... maybe... no that wouldn't work... oh! I got it," **OH!** I know! Lets go to that seafood place in the city our parents used to take us to! I can try to clean up this mess there! What do you say?" My voice being very shaky during the last sentence.

He seems to have calmed down at the mention of our parents, and after thinking for a minute he smiled ominously, which scared the shit out of me, and said,"Fine. Get in the truck. I have to grab something."

Great! That's not freaky at all, he _definitely_ didn't sound like one of those sociopaths from those crappy movies. Whatever, I can probably calm him down more during the car ride! I then run over to his truck and jump into the passenger seat. Ready to get my life back together for once...

...

So I was right to be scared that's for sure. After arriving at a parking garage and getting out of the truck, Mike had pulled a gun on me, _which_ I was now staring down the barrel of. I'm not all that surprised to be honest, in fact I'm pissed, but mostly at my self. I mean, the ominous smile, the way he acted before _and_ during the ride, heck even his sociopathic behavior had been pretty obvious, and I had missed it all! Now I have to pay for my mistake... with my life.

"So this is it then? You're gonna shoot me? Not even going to let me explain what _actually_ happened? Fine, do it." I say with a sigh. Ignoring the sense of fear that is crawling up my spine, and trying not to fall to my knees crying and begging for my life.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

The first bullet hits my shoulder causing me to jerk to the left. The second and third hit me in my chest, making me double over in pain and fall to my knees. Then, I feel the blood rise up my throat and I start coughing, courtesy of a bullet to the lung I guess. All the while my so called _brother_ stares at me with a look of disgust.

"Wow! _*cough*_ I always knew you were a sa-* _cough_ * sadistic bastard and you hate my guts but this rea-* _cough_ * sorry... I think you hit my lung * _laugh... cough_ *... anyway this really takes the cake!" I somehow manage to croak out, despite the immense pain. Meanwhile, my _brother_ raises the gun again. "You know what... I really am sorry th-" I don't see it coming.

 _Bang! Bang!_

I get cut off as both shots tear through the soft flesh of my neck and I grasp at the mangled flesh in a attempt to stop my blood from escaping my body, a futile effort I know but it makes me feel better . "Shut **UP** **!** **YOU RUINED MY LIFE! YOU DON'T GET TO BE SORRY!** " Mike yells, the sound of a siren being heard in the distance.

Of course, I can barely hear anything now. Maybe it has something to do with the large amount of blood loss and lack of oxygen, I don't really know. All I feel is the blood gushing out of my neck and pooling around my body. The warm blood doesn't do anything to warm me up however, all I feel is the cold. That terrible cold that is oh so often associated with death, pretty cliche huh?

By now the sirens have gotten closer and my _brother_ is still standing there. He looks around for a few seconds and then looks down and smiles at me. He says something but I don't hear what he says, and he then kicks my weakened body onto it's back and places the gun in my hand. After that he runs to his truck and takes off, gone... along with my chance for a new start

Now I can't feel anything except for the cold, and everything is starting to go dark. I can't help but think of what I could have done differently and all of that cliche stuff people do when they are about to die. Yeah I'm pretty sarcastic and a jerk most of the time even in death, but whatever.

Wow... I'm gonna die... I never was afraid of death ... getting killed by my asshole of a brother just makes me angry. I can't do anything now anyway so... whatever.

I wonder what the afterlife will be like? Will it be a dark nothingness with nothing to do but think of how I screwed up my life? I sure hope not, that would drive me insane! Well... at least I'm not dying in a boring way I guess... I couldn't take it if my cause of death was some sickness, that would just be to much.

I can't really tell how much time has passed now... I can still see, albeit a small amount, and I still can't hear... the pain is still there... not as bad now...

I can't believe I screwed up so bad... where did I go wrong... my own brother killed me... talk about luck...

huh... there's actually a light... so this is how I die... so cliche...

...

The police cruiser and ambulance pulled into the parking garage where gunshots had been reported. The first responders exited their vehicles and searched the garage for any injured or dead. They then came across a body laying in the middle of the 3rd floor of the parking garage. It was holding a gun in one of it's hands and was surrounded by a pool of blood.

The paramedics rushed to the body and were about to check for a pulse, but noticed the bullet holes in the man's throat. They knew with the amount of blood on the floor and the bullet holes in the throat that this man was as good as dead. So they went back to the ambulance and grabbed a body bag.

...

The pain has gone away now...

I feel warm...

I'm trapped somewhere...

It's very dark...

I'm pretty comfortable...

There is some weird beat all the time...

I dunno how long I will be here but... I'm not gonna complain...

I'm really tired now...

I might just try to sleep for a while...

...

 **Reaper: There we go! First chapter of this wonderful, not really, story is done/ rewritten! I had some extra time today so I decided to polish this chapter up. The whole murder scene was kind of plaguing my mind all day (you wouldn't believe). I don't know, it just seemed kind of... random and rushed in my opinion, so I just decided to give the brother,Mike, a name and a reason to kill our mystery OC. Don't worry, I will introduce him next chapter, which will be one of our set up chapters to help rebuild our OC anew.**


	2. Surprise

**Author's Note: Well here's chapter two guys! I would like to thank everyone has chosen to follow or favorite this story and those that have left reviews. I would also like to thank Rainsfere and  Mango eater 24 for the tips that they have given me.**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own Mass Effect or any of its characters. All I own is my own character that I place in this universe. Now that all that crap has been dealt with... let's begin shall we?**

...

 **2159, July 21st**

 **Arcturus Station**

Hannah Shepard couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had thought that doing such a thing again would be damn near impossible. She'd had so much trouble with her daughter, Jane's, birth and her condition after the birth made the doctors think that she wouldn't be able to have another child.

Yet, here was the third pregnancy test she had bought and taken that day, "Just to make sure"she'd told herself repeatedly. Disproving what the _medical professionals_ had told her five years ago, sneering as she remembered them. It was reading positive, and thus proving she was pregnant and that she would have another child. _I guess all of this praying has been paying off after all! Well... that and modern medicine!_

Hannah was ecstatic to say the least. She felt like the luckiest woman in the galaxy right now. She'd thought that she would only have one child for such a long time and now... well, she would have a second. _I'll have to find a way to tell Nathan! He will be so surprised!_

Hannah smiled thinking of how her husband would react to the news. _Knowing him he will probably pass out just like when_ _ **I**_ _asked him out on a date for the first time. How do I explain this to little Jane though? She might ask where it came from. What do I do then? How do I explain where her sibling came from? Never mind, one step at a time, Hannah, one step at a time._

She left the bathroom and walked into the kitchen. _I wonder if it's a boy or a girl. I would really like a boy this time, but to be honest I'm too happy to care! I'll take whatever I can get!_

While Hannah was thinking she had started to make dinner, a activity that she rarely had the time to partake in. She would only cook for her family on special occasions. Other times they would go to the cafeteria when on a station together, which wasn't often since Nathan was a marine so he wasn't around often nowadays.

Of course, when Nathan was around he made up for his time apart from her and and his daughter, he would often take care of little Jane so Hannah would go out for a night of fun with her friends. He would also help with any paper work she had to do, which wasn't much but she often said, "It's the thought that counts."

He would also spoil his daughter whenever he was around, bringing her presents any chance he could get. One day, he had even tried to give Jane a "broken" pistol to play with once, much to the dismay of Hannah, who made sure he slept on the couch that night... and a lot more after that. She only let him sleep in the bed again when his constant begging and saying sorry got on her nerves.

Despite Nathan's minor... lack of common sense, Hannah still loved the man. He was caring, kind, funny, not that bad looking either with his green eyes and black hair. As cliche as it sounds, she often felt safe around Nathan. _He certainly i-_

Hannah's thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door hiss and open, revealing Nathan with Jane on his shoulders, laughing about something. She smiled at the scene, and spoke as they walked in, "Well, how was your day?"

Nathan grabbed Jane and gently put her on the ground then looked up, "It was alright I suppose, didn't really do much."

Jane looked up at her father and frowned at him, " Liar!" she looked back at Hannah, " Daddy took me to the range today!"

Hannah frowned and looked back up at Nathan, who looked like he really wanted to be somewhere else, " Oh really? I thought we talked about this already Nathan," she sighed and looked back at her daughter, " Run along Jane, I need to have a word with your father."

"Okay!" Jane then retreated to her room, but not before giving Hannah a hug.

Hannah then looked back at Nathan and thought about what to do with him. _I'm not angry at him. Knowing Jane she probably pulled out her puppy face and convinced him to take her. Always the charismatic one, Jane._

Nathan opened his mouth and began to speak, " Honey, I can explain myse-"

"You're fine."

"What?"

" I said you're fine. Let me guess, she pulled out the puppy face didn't she?"

Nathan looked at the floor and nodded meekly.

Hannah giggled and spoke, "I thought so," she walked over to him, " So, how was your day _really_ , love?"

He looked back up and smiled, "It was good. Little Jane is... how to describe it... well, she's extremely interested in shooting, and she's quite good at it for her age, too."

"Really?" said Hannah, wondering if this hadn't been the only time Nathan had taken Jane out to the firing range. _Likely, I suppose_.

"Yes, she hit her targets quite a few times, and she was able to..." he looked at the kitchen, which was barely ever used, and saw the oven cooking something, " Are you cooking something?" She nodded,

"What's the occasion?"

"It's a surprise."

Nathan looked like he was pouting, but his face was hard to read sometimes and she couldn't tell right now. He then pulled her into a hug and said, "No fair... c'mon tell me," she shook her head, "Fine... I guess I'll just have to wait then won't I."

"Yep!"

"Alright*sigh*, I never win when it comes to these arguments."

"Nope!"

Nathan rolled his eyes and sighed again, "I'll be watching some vids for now, tell me when dinner is ready. Love ya!" Nathan gave Hannah a quick kiss on the lips and then walked towards the couch.

Hannah smiled at the man, thinking of how much fun she would have with her husband with this. _He's completely clueless... just how I want him._

…

Hannah's theory of how Nathan would react to her pregnancy had been correct. He had passed out after stuttering for a few seconds, causing her and Jane to laugh at the poor man. His... circumstances had also lead to his face being completely covered in the food that she had prepared, making both Hannah and Jane to laugh at the unfortunate soul.

Nathan came to about a minute later, and upon discovering his appearance, turned as red as an apple. He chilled out a little bit later, when Jane and Hannah had finally stopped laughing, and began to ask her lots of questions. Those included were, "How long have you known, how is this even possible,and how far along was she?"

Hannah simply told him that she had only found out that day, and that she didn't know about the other two questions. She also stated that she didn't care about the other two questions, she only cared about the fact she would have another child. This had sated Nathan's thirst for answers and he finally calmed down.

Then Jane had decided to ask one question as well.

The one that Hannah had been dreading since she had first discovered that she was pregnant.

"Mommy... where do babies come from?"

Only one thought came to the heads of the older Shepards.

 _Fuck._

…

 _The dark place is kind of blue now..._

 _It tingles ..._

 _It feels nice..._

 _Really nice..._

 _Makes me feel..._

 _Powerful..._

…

 _I've been stuck in here for a while now..._

 _It's gotten really tight in here..._

 _The blue left a while ago..._

 _It's just black now..._

…

 _I REALLY want to go now..._

 _It's SO tight in here..._

 _There's a passage here..._

 _Even tighter..._

 _Might be my only way out though..._

 _Meh, screw it..._

 _In I go..._

 _Great, I'm being pushed out now..._

 _Well... no going back now..._

 _Feels like I'm being crushed..._

 _My head is stuck..._

 _Almost..._

 _There..._

…

 **Reaper: Aaaannnnd that's a rap folks! Sorry for the late upload guys! I was meaning to get this chapter out on N7 Day, but as you can see that didn't wind up happening. Internet problems am I right? No? Just me then... whatever. I hope that you all enjoyed the second chapter to this story, and please, if you feel like it, give me some feedback. I'm still planning this and I'll take any advice on where to take the story! I think that I've made this long enough already, so goodbye folks!**


	3. Rebirth

**Author's Note: Well guys here is chapter 3! I hope that it is to your liking and all of that! First though I must say that I wasn't expecting so many people to actually pay any attention to my story, my first one ever at that! I thank all of you for supporting the creation of this story, and for those of you that have reviewed and given me tips I cannot thank you enough.**

 **Disclaimer: Blah blah blah don't own Mass Effect or any of its characters (Bioware and EA do), only my OC. Now let's begin shall we?**

…

 **2160, April 22nd**

 **London, Earth**

...

I feel myself slip free of my dark, but comfortable, prison, and all of my senses come rushing back to me. I hear people speaking but I can't quite make out what they are saying. I try to open my eyes but I'm immediately blinded by the light in the room, which makes sense since I've been stuck in the dark for who knows how long, and I close them again due to the pain.

I then feel something pick me up and place me on a cold, hard surface. The sudden contact peaks my interest, and despite the pain I experienced a few seconds ago, I open my eyes.

I'm met with what appears to be a male, a doctor by the look of him. Except his uniform is unlike anything I've ever seen a doctor wear. It's a sterile white with black along the seams and shoulders. It also has a orange patch on the side of its right arm. What grabs my attention next though is the scalpel that he's holding slightly above my stomach area.

As I see this, I try to tell the doctor to, " _Back the fuck off!"_ but all that comes out of my mouth is a collection of high pitched cries and squeals. What? Why the hell can't I talk?

My confusion gives the doctor a chance to cut something off my stomach, which causes more of the cries and squeals to escape my mouth. What the hell happened to me! I should be able to speak! Then I feel myself being swaddled in a cloth. At this I realize how small I actually am, and I begin to let even more of the cries and squeals escape from my mouth. I then feel myself being handed over to someone else in the room, and I then try to see whoever is holding me against my will.

It was a woman. She had long, red hair, and a pair of pale, blue eyes. Her skin was white, but with a slight amount of a tan to show that she didn't lock herself indoors. She appeared to be exhausted and looked as if she needed a _very_ good sleep; however, she appeared to be giving me a small, but noticeable, smile. It was filled with a fondness that could only be given by a mother to her child.

Wait! Oh god, it makes so much sense now! The crying, my size, and the doctors... I'm a baby again... you gotta be kidding me! I went through all of this once already! I don't want to do it again!

While I was thinking the doctor began to speak to my new 'mother', "Congratulations on the successful delivery of a healthy, baby boy Mrs. Shepard."

Wait... I've heard that name before...

"No, thank you doctor. If it weren't for you than this delivery would have been just as bad as the last one." She responded, not taking her eyes off of me the whole time she was speaking.

Last one? Oh you can't be serious!

"You're welcome, although I can't take all of the credit. Modern medicine does have its perks after all!" he laughed, but then his face became serious once more, " I must warn you though, your exposure to eezo during your pregnancy may cause some... side effects in the future."

...I've heard that before too...eezo...

While the doctor had paused I hear a something slide open with hissing sound, and after the doctor finishes I hear a voice, "What kind of side effects?"

I shift my eyes toward the direction of the voice and see a man dressed in a blue/black uniform walking toward my new mother... this is crazy. Anyway, he had black hair and bright, green eyes. He was a little tanner than my mother but not by much, and his hair was cut short and cropped up. Military, well that's my guess anyways.

The doctor looked toward the man, " Yes, are you familiar with biotics Mr. Shepard,"oh my new father... biotics, he narrows his eyes and nods slightly, "Well, this little guy _might_ be able to utilize the eezo in his system at a later age."

My mother decided to butt into the conversation, " What do you mean _might_?"

" Yes, well there is a chance that your child will become afflicted with... cancer," The doctor drooped his head when he said this, " In order to determine if the child is not afflicted with any type of cancer, we will need to monitor the boy's health for a month or so."

You've gotta be kidding me. I just got here... and I'm being told I might have cancer!

My mother looked at me, sighed, then looked back at my father, and then the doctor, "May we at least have the rest of the day to spend with him?"

"Of course, the boy doesn't even have a name yet." The doctor then turned, and walked toward the door to exit. He then walked up to the door and activated something on his arm, bringing up a orange light of some kind, which he then waved in front of the door, opening it, and walked out of the room. The door shut behind him, causing another hiss to fill the room.

The heck was that?

My father then walked toward my mother and he opened his mouth to speak, "He did raise a good point. The kid doesn't even have a name yet."

My mother looked up at him and then at me, "Well, what do _you_ want to call him?"

"I dunno."

"What do you mean 'you don't know'!" She yelled at him.

"What? You didn't even bring this up before." He replied.

"I thought that you would think of _something!_ "

Greeaaaat, my parents are idiots...

"You should know not to make assumptions about me."

"You're a adult Nathan! I shouldn't have to tell you what to do!"

Oh, so that's his name...

" I forget things Hannah... a lot." He looked at the floor at the end of that sentence.

Oooh, I'm learning so much from this _wonderful_ conversation...

They both went silent for a little bit. Their facial expressions showing complete and total concentration. They cant event figure out a name... life hates me. After what seemed like forever, for me, my father... Nathan I think it was... whatever, he looked at … Hannah, yeah that's it, and spoke, "This might sound stupid but how about we call him Verrel."

Seriously?

Hannah looked up at her husband, and narrowed her eyes at him. This caused him to widen his eyes and start backing up while waving his hands, " W-well if you don't like it we can think of a different name b-"

She laughed at her husband, "It's fine Nathan. I was just kidding with you."She laughed some more.

Yep! Life hates me!

"Why do you torment me so?"

"Cuz' I can."

He sighed and walked back toward his wife, and kissed her on the forehead, "Verrel it is then." My father looked back down at me and smiled, "Well bud," Don't call me bud, "I suppose we should introduce you to your sister shouldn't we?" You've gotta be kidding me... "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing let me go get her."

Nathan then turned and left the room like the doctor. Leaving me and my new mother alone. She watched her husband leave the room, and then diverted her attention back to me, "Well... he's an interesting one isn't he?" I looked up at her and nodded, much to her confusion, "Huh, smart one aren't you?" Once again I nodded. She laughed at me, "At least you didn't inherit Nathan's intellect, I can't think of what I would do then." Neither would I...

Then the strange door opens again and in comes Nathan with a small girl on his shoulders. She has the red hair of her mother, and the green eyes of her father. Her hair has been tied up into a pony tail, and her skin is the same as her mother's.

When she sees me she jumps off Nathan's shoulders and runs of to the bed where Hannah and I reside. She appears to be excited... which is _exactly_ what I need right now. Our mother tilts my body upward slightly in order for the girl to see me, "Jane, meet your brother,Verrel."

Jane? Seems... familiar...

She seems a little puzzled at the name (join the club) but she gets over it, "Hello Verrel," Her voice is high pitched but that much is to be expected. I simply stare at her, wishing she would go away, trust issues I suppose-. She then looks at Hannah, "Mommy, can I hold him?" -I mean I was just shot by a sibling and all so... wait... what!

"Of course honey!" My mother then hands me over to my sister and I feel like screaming, but she's just a little girl. It would be wrong to get scream at her, especially when she just wants to hold me, right? Plus what could she possibly do?

Jane looks down at me, "Mommy, why can't he talk?"

Hannah laughs, "Verrel's just a little too young to be doing that right now. He just needs to learn what words mean and how to spell them first, like how you had to when you were little."

Jane nods in understanding, "Daddy, will he be able to shoot guns with us?" Wait... **WHAT**! **GET ME AWAY!** I start to squirm in her grip and my father saves me from the evil child, "No hon, he can't even walk, let alone lift a pistol."

"Will he ever be able to?"

"Of course," If I don't die that is, "When he's older."

"Good! He can join the Alliance with me!"

Huh? Alliance?

"That's if he wants to Jane."

Biotics... Eezo...

That light... Omni-tool...

Hannah... Shepard...

Jane... Shepard...

Alliance... Commander Shepard...

Mass Effect...

Reapers...

...Fuck my luck...

…

 **Reaper: That's a rap folks! First off, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, I worked really hard on it. Second, I want to apologize for how late this update was. Thanksgiving has lead to a BUNCH of my relatives visiting and I never could find the time to actually sit down and write. So I am sorry. Now, per usual thank you for reading, and please review, it really helps me improve the quality of my writing, which should help your reading experience.**


	4. So Far So Good

**Author's Note: Well guys, here's another chapter for your enjoyment! Got to admit, its weird to actually get support on something like this! I mean, just 5k words and I've got close to 50 followers on my first story! That is what motivates me to continue writing , so thank you to all that have supported me so far! ESPECIALLY those of you that have left reviews and helped me write!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own anything from the Mass Effect universe, only Bioware and EA do. I only own my OC.**

…

Mass Effect. Loved the series. I would download all the DLC, replay each game hundreds of times, and would learn all of the lore. To put it simply, I was a major fan... that was in my _old_ life though, before I died.

Now... well, I'm actually _in_ the Mass Effect Universe. I can't believe it. Got killed, reincarnated, and now I'm here. Not only that, but I'm THE Jane Shepard's little brother. A lot to live up to huh?

Kind of sucks right now though. I mean, I'm a month-old child that knows exactly what the hell is gonna happen to billions in the galaxy and right now, all I can do is sleep, eat, and _then_ , to top off my schedule, sleep some more. Fun, right?

Anyway, for the first month of my _new_ life I've been stuck in a hospital. Why? To run tests of course! See, I was exposed to eezo while in the womb, thus I have some of the stuff in my nervous system, which means I _might_ have these crazy powers called biotics. On the other hand I _might_ have a nasty case of cancer.

One month in this lousy universe and I already have the threat of death looming over me. Mass Effect everyone!

I think that I might be fine though. The doctors don't seem to be as worried as before, and even my parents don't look at me like they might not see me around next month as often. _Big sis_ doesn't even know that she might lose her _partner_ for target practice, and for that I'm thankful. That girl scares me sometimes.

My parents seem alright with the situation though. Must be something to do with being in the military, but they seem to be alright people. My father, Nathan, seems to be a kind, funny (depends on your definition of the word), and lighthearted, which seems a bit strange considering he's a Marine and all. He's definitely not the definition of smart though.

Surprising, especially since he received the Star of Terra, _apparently_ he was awarded it based on his services during The First Contact War. Something about taking multiple heavily defended areas with only a five man team. When other forces finally united with Dad, he was the last one left. The bodies of his team having been discovered far behind him. Other teams came and replaced the Turians in the positions Dad took.

Other than that I don't really know much else. He doesn't really like to talk about it all that much. Not that I'm surprised. I mean, his team had been wiped out and he was the only one to get off the planet alive. He surely has _some_ guilt over that incident. Had to have therapy or something like that, must've been a really close group of people.

Anyway Dad got found, and was taken off of the battlefield. He was then recommended for the award by some admiral that must have retired before the games. Finally, on Earth he received the award along with a handful of other soldiers, with most of the Alliance watching.

Next, my mother, Hannah, though, she is a lot more practical than her husband. She's serious most of the time, but she's caring, gentle, and kind. Definitely pulled the longest straw in that department.

I wasn't so lucky in the naming department however. My father, in his infinite wisdom, decided to call me Verrel. Yeah I know, it's a _wonderful_ name! Makes whoever says it sound like they're drunk and trying to say barrel! Of course, Hannah just lets this slide, and now I'm stuck with this terrible name!

Whatever, at least as a child it gives me time so I can think about how to help my sibling stop the Reapers, even if that's like... twenty-three years from now... I think. Anyway, I could become a Marine like my father and try to get stationed on the Normandy when its about time for Saren and his Geth to attack Eden Prime. Or, I could become a Merc and just tag along with Shep and her rag-tag team of aliens, heck maybe I'll even be able to save a few lives. _Decisions, decisions_.

I dunno... not meant for this type of thinking. I'll figure this out later, for now I wait.

…

 **2161, April 22nd**

 **Arcturus Station**

…

Life has been decent so far. Bored as hell, but not dead from cancer yet, so that's a plus. I can _kind of_ talk now. I can form decent sentences, for a one year-old, another plus. That might be something to do with my lack of teeth though. The parents think I'm some sort of genius, but then again I am much older than anyone thinks I am.

Oh yeah, and today's my first birthday! _Joy..._

At least Dad's gonna be around for it. His schedule allowed it, so he gets to see all the stupid moments and take all of the pictures that will be used as black mail later on in my life.

It'll be a small party as far as I know. Just me, Jane, Mom, Dad, and a few of their friends. Oh yeah! One of Jane's friends will be their as well! Don't know his name, but Jane seems to hold him in high esteem sooo he's probably crazy.

Basically, right now everyone else is making those last minute party preparations that everyone seems to forget about until last minute.

Meanwhile, I'm stuck up in the kitchen, strapped into a baby-stool. Bored as hell. Ready to be displayed to and for the masses, who will probably laugh as I stuff myself full of cake. Well, I don't want to embarrass myself but you don't get sweets around here often so I'll take what I can get.

I take a glance around the room and my eyes settle on a mirror. Gazing into it, I see my reflection.

I've got mom's pale, blue eyes and I inherited dad's jet, black hair. I'm quite pale, but being stuck on a space station will do that to you I suppose. Bit chubby, but I'll work on that. Not to shabby to be honest.

A loud clanging noise comes from my right and I look away from the mirror. I see Jane opening up cabinets and throwing their contents onto the floor. I then make an attempt at communicating with the little girl, "Jan, wa' er y' d-doig'?" ... God I hate my life.

The little demon looks up from her work and turns back to me, "What do you mean?" I look at the pile of utensils, pots, and pans on the floor and then back at her, "Oohhh! That. I want to find something me and Jeff can play with!" She then looks back down at a not-so-empty cabinet and continues her work.

Jeff? It can't be...

"Wo Gef?" God f-

"You never pay attention!" True, "He's my friend! The one coming here for _your_ party!" I was beginning to draw connections here.

"Oh... wa's heh was nam?" Butchering everything there! Gooood job me!

She looks back up at me, red hair hanging in her eyes, "Moreau. Why?"

I try to appear uncaring, but on the inside I'm nerding out. Jeff frickin' Moreau, aka Joker, future pilot of the SSV Normandy, is coming to my birthday party? Well, looks like my previous statement was true I suppose, but the main events of the trilogy haven't even started and I'm already about to meet one of its' characters! One of Shepard's future crew! I mean it would make since, Joker does grow up on Arcturus, and since Jane and I have been here awhile it makes sense she would meet him!

Okay, Okay chill out Verrel, just give Jane her answer and be done with it, "Jus' wan'd t' now." Ffffffuuuuuuuu-

"Alright then!" She then continued her work searching for something that she and Jeff could play with, which I imagine is kind of hard. Especially since he has Vrolik Syndrome. Damn, must be hard to be a normal kid when if you make one wrong move you can end up with a broken bone... poor guy.

I hear the door to the kitchen open and look away from Jane to see my mother walking in. When she sees me she smiles, but then she sees the mess that Jane has created. Her smile quickly turns into a scowl, and she looks over to find Jane, halfway in a cabinet and green eyes wide open, looking like she wants to _really_ be somewhere else, "Jane **Elizabeth SHEPARD**! What the heck is all of this!?"

Elizabeth? I giggle. Jane looks over at me, her cheeks flushed red from embarrassment, "Whatever, _Verrel_!"

Okay, she has a point there. Jane then looks back at Hannah, "I was looking for something me and Jeff could play with." She sounds almost _proud_ that she made a mess in the process.

Hannah face palms,"That still doesn't explain why you threw everything out of the cabinets!"

Jane rolls her eyes and smirks, "I was being thorough mom. Like you _always_ say!"

"Okay, you have me there, **but** **why did YOU HAVE TO DO IT BEFORE THE PARTY**!" You wouldn't believe how often stuff like this happens.

"I dunno."

"Good lord! You're as hopeless as your father! Think ahead Jane!" Should've told that to dad before I was born... Verrel! _Way_ to think ahead then mom!

Hannah sighs and begins to massage her forehead, "Did you at least find something that you and Jeff can play with?"

"Nope." Popping the 'p', just to annoy our mother.

"I can't believe this* _sigh_ *... just... I dunno! Look somewhere else but _not_ before you clean up this mess young lady!" Then she turns around and leaves the kitchen. 'Cuz forget punishment am I right?

Jane looks back at me, crosses her arms, and smirks, "Well little brother, it seems that I win again. No punishment for me!" I simply roll my eyes and look away from the girl.

Jesus, I just want my cake...

…

 **Later**

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" Dear god please stop...

"Happy birthday dear Verrel! Happy birthday to you!" As the song came to a close, I could see my father with his omni-tool raised, no doubt trying to record this _wonderful_ experience. Mom was standing right next to him, smiling at me.

Meanwhile, I was sitting in a baby-stool, with a large, chocolate cake right in front of me. A single blue candle sitting on top, and a small orange flame balancing at the peak. Just waiting to be blown o-

"Hurry up Verrel!" Ah yes, sweet, sweet Jane. I was wondering where you went.

After cleaning up from her little _escapade_ , Jane had given up on finding something real she and Jok- nope not his name, _Jeff_ could play with, so she installed some program onto her omni-tool. It appeared to be a game, some sort of futuristic Candy Crush. Just... well, without the waiting for more lives and all that crap. Still looks fun though. That makes me wonder, what _are_ games like nowadays? Plus, which game companies are even still around...

-Aaannnd I'm getting sidetracked, anyway Jane found something she could play with Joke- * _ahem_ * Jeff, and that's all that matters.

Speaking of Jeff, he arrived a couple hours after the whole kitchen fiasco. Walked ri- well, I should say hobbled right inside. He was wearing a hat, which didn't help the inner fanboy in me one bit. He also was using crutches to hobble around our humble abode. He seemed like a shy kid, barely spoke three words to me and those were, "Hi," and, "Happy birthday."

Then he was off to play with Jane, but I swear I will draw out the inner Joker within that guy if it's the last thing I- never mind. I just realized I'm only a year old and I would like to live a little longer so forget it.

Anyway, I roll my eyes at the seven-year old, and then look back down at the cake. My mouth watering at the thought of tasting the sweet chocolaty goodness.

Not wanting to wait any longer, I take a large breath and then blow out the candle.

As soon as the flame goes out everyone starts clapping and I hear an audible click coming from Dad's direction. Probably his omni-tool taking a picture to remember this _wonderful_ occasion. Then I notice Mom walking up to the cake, knife in hand, and cutting a few slices for the quests.

Or, she would have if we didn't hear a knock on the door.

I just want MY **DAMN CAKE! Enough of the interruptions!**

Dad looked toward the door and opened his mouth to speak, "I wonder who that could be?" He then walked toward the door and opened it. Revealing a tall, colored man standing in the doorway. He was wearing civilian clothes, but he looked like he was in the military.

When he began to speak I drew a connection, "Sorry I'm late Nate. Had some business I had to deal with along the way. You know how it is, right?"

Standing in front of my father was the man who would help start Shepard's journey in stopping the Reapers.

David Anderson

…

 **Reaper: It's done! It's FINALLY FREAKIN' DONE! HALLELUJA, PRAISE THE LORD! *ahem Now that that's done I can chill and explain.**

 **First, exams came up and _boy were they fun_! Then the holidays! Then back to learning useless crap! One last thing, can you guess it? No? Well, my girlfriend broke up with me! Yep fun! Best few weeks of my life! Anyway, I want to apologize for not uploading in forever, but now you know why. **

**I _might_ get another chapter out in about a week, but thanks for reading guys! And remember, leave reviews so I can make these things better yeah? That will benefit all parties, so thanks and see ya next time!**

...


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